Croak

"The central mystery is genuinely puzzling, and Lex's narrative voice is funny and fresh. . . . Fantasy fans who like their tales gritty and filled with irreverent humor will be eager for the follow-up." -- Kirkus Reviews "The morbid subject matter is kept in check by entertaining characters, clever twists, and a sly, self-aware sense of humor." -- Publishers Weekly "Go ahead and die laughing, knowing that the safe transport of your mortal soul will be the summer job of a sweetheart teen with godlike power and discipline problems. A lot of books make me wish I could live within their pages, but I wouldn't mind dying in this one." -- Adam Rex, author of Fat Vampire "Creepy and hilarious." -- VOYA, 4Q, 5P "Damico nicely balances the grim subject matter with a heavy dose of humor, and the third-person narration provides some deadpan perspective on Lex's absurd situation that gives the story an appealing tall-tale feel. . . . An intricate and imaginative construction of the afterlife that is as amusing as it is unique." -- Bulletin "Teens looking for something new will find this scythe-swinging debut novel to die for. . . . [A] wacky, highly entertaining new series." -- Booklist "Creative details, sarcastic humor, and quick-witted dialogue makes Croak rise above other stories of its type." -- SLJFed up with her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex's parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort's true occupation is much dirtier than shoveling manure. He's a Grim Reaper. And he's going to teach Lex the family business. She quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can't stop her desire for justice -- or is it vengeance? -- whenever she encounters a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with her reaper skills? This ebook includes a sample chapter of SCORCH.

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A so-so story trying to poke fun at our dealings with death. When Lex gets shipped off to her uncle's farm for a summer, after a lot of violence on her part, she finds out she is uniquely suited to a job as a reaper of souls. Or, as the job title states, 'Killer'. Her work partner captures the soul and releases it into the afterworld. Uh-huh.
Got it to see if I could interest my son in another novel, but I couldn't bring myself to recommend it in the end.
I recommend Jackie Morse Kessler's 'Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse' series.

Kereesa
Feb 18, 2016

There was a lot of effort here, to be funny, meaningful, but just not in the right places..

Croak by Gina Demico
Read by: Anna/Boston Public Library
Originally posted to the Teen Blog on 12/14/2012.

This is the story of a 16-year-old teen who gets shipped off to spend the summer with her Uncle Mort because of sudden behavioral issues. Lex, named after the battle of Lexington, has no idea why she turned violent. She just knows that she likes to punch people and it doesn’t matter whether they’ve done something to personally offend her or not. But when she gets to the town of Croak, NY (Population 82), she’s startled to discover that her uncle isn’t the farmer she expected. He’s a Grim Reaper. And so is everyone else in the small town. She was born to be a Grim. At first she isn’t sure about this, but the more she hangs out with the other Junior Grims, and the more time she spends at work, Killing dead bodies so her partner can Cull the souls to send the people to the afterlife, the more she comes to realize that Croak is where she belongs.

But then, mysterious deaths start to occur. Not only do the medical examiners not know what’s killing these people, seemingly at random, but neither do the Grims. When it become apparent that the killer could very well be a Grim, it’s up to Lex and the other Junior Grims to figure it out.

Honestly, I think I died laughing. No joke. This book is at the same time dark, very serious and yet light with humor. I loved getting to hang out in the afterlife with the dead famous people like Edgar Allen Poe who seems to be the only one who doesn’t like John Wilkes Booth because John stole Edgar’s favorite quill. When we get the absolutely lovely description of the alcohol-like drink that actually has no alcohol in it, I about died, wishing I could have a cup. Keep in mind, the drink has no alcohol, but if a Grim has more than three drinks in a row, that could spell a very different kind of trouble: Death. The murder mystery that takes place is definitely a mystery that will defy you until near the end of the book. At least, it did for me. The book is at times creepy, but there is also a healthy dose of awkward romance to go along with the creep. While most books these days throw in the perfect romance between the two perfect main characters, this romance is not perfect. Nothing goes as planned and neither are the two main characters perfect. It’s wonderfully realistic.

Over all, this book was a nice breath of fresh air from all the books that only seem to mimic each other these days. Yep, there’s a girl on the cover, but she’s wearing a black hoodie (proper Grim attire) and carrying a large scythe. Not a fancy dress that never gets worn in the book. But be aware of one thing. As you near the end of the first book, make sure you have Scorch, the second book, handy because you’ll want to dive right in without waiting. Trust me, this book is awesome. And the story’s not done yet…

I really enjoyed this one, mostly because Lex Bartleby is a wonderful main character. She's badass, mean, vicious, and a rebel. It's refreshing to have characters who aren't afraid to shake things up and dive headfirst into trouble. Plus, with grim reapers, how can you go wrong? :)

Summary

this book was one of my favorite books it had so much adventure and romance and many other interesting features involved in it I just love how lex and driggs met and that driggs fell in love with lex when he was fourteen before they actually meant and then when they meant he just kept falling in love with.... everything about lex. its an amazing book